Number of young boys self-harming in UK is at five-year high, figures show

Medical treatment: the numbers of cases of boys self-harming is increasing

The number of cases of young boys self-harming is at a five-year high, new figures reveal.

Experts said bullying, stress at school and sexual pressure was driving young people to self-harm.

While the trend is more common in girls, it is increasing in boys too, figures show.

The practice can involve cutting, burning and intentional self-poisoning.

659 cases of boys aged between 10 to 14 being admitted to A&E were recorded last year, compared to 454 in 2009 - a 30 per cent increase.

It means the number of young boys being treated for self-harming has increased nearly every year over the past five years, according to statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

The figures related to the number of admissions, rather than individual patients, and could include individuals who have gone to hospital many times.

Meanwhile the number of self-harm cases of girls in the same age group has also increased dramatically, nearly doubling from 3,090 in 2009 to 2010 to 5,955 in 2013 to 2014.

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Lucy Russell, director of campaigns at the charity YoungMinds, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "Calls to our parents' helpline have gone through the roof over the last few years."

She added: "What we hear from various bits of research all across the country is that self-harm is definitely increasing and it's increasing in boys as much as it is with girls."

Ms Russell said youngsters were "under a lot of pressure in the modern age" with a wide range of potential triggers.

She said: "There is a lot of family breakdown, there are addiction issues in families, poverty issues, there is a lot of stress at school in terms of having to perform and pass exams, there's bullying, 24/7 online culture, sexual pressures, issues around body image and, really, in terms of the future, what are young people going to do in the future? All those issues affect boys too."